17 Wonders in the Heavens Above …
339
from judgement. The difference with this third coming of the day of God described
in Joel 2: 31, is that humans, with the spirit of God, will join with creation in crying
out for this salvation. As Horrell (2014, p. 135) states, the principle of voice indicates
“that the hope and vocation of salvation are not only a matter for humans but for the
whole created order.”
To summarise, the ecological principles of interconnectedness and voice run
throughout Joel 1–2. Humans and creation are deeply interconnected, as human
sin (possibly overconsumption) leads to ecological judgement, while God’s relentment of judgement on this human sin brings an ecological flourishing. Moreover,
while humans in Joel 1–2 remain unresponsive to God’s call to lament, it is creation
that fulfils this call and laments. These principles are then found in Joel 2: 28–32,
as the spirit of God is poured out on all flesh, human and non-human (indicating an
interconnectedness), and humans join with creation in a call for salvation (indicating
the theme of voice).
Implications for Acts 2: 17–21
There are two indications that these ecological themes of interconnectedness and
voice are taken up by Luke’s use of Joel 2: 28–32 in Acts 2: 17–21. First, on the theme
of interconnectedness, Luke has used the LXX’s version of Joel 2: 28, which uses the
Greek word sarx for “flesh” at this point. While most Pentecostal (and charismatic)
commentators see Luke as indicating “all people” in his use of sarx (Keener 2012;
Cho and Park 2019), sarx can have a broader ecological context. Trainor notes that
the Jewish historian Josephus (37–100 CE) understands sarx as encompassing nonhuman flesh, which is also a common understanding of the broader Greek literature
(Trainor 2020). This understanding of sarx does have implications for Acts 2:17, as
Trainor (2020) notes that Luke’s use of sarx,
implies an added layer of relationship that is more than anthropocentric. Sarx emphasizes
humanity in its relationship to the wider environment and world in which human being live.
The expression underscores a person’s environmental network or relationships that makes
one human. … [Sarx] is not exclusively anthropocentric; it also implies the non-human
world. (p. 38)
Luke’s adoption of sarx in Acts 2: 17 then indicates the interconnectedness of
humans and creation, as God pours out the Spirit upon all flesh, both human and
non-human. While the first half of the quote from Joel 2: 28–32 goes on to describe
the human effects of this outpouring (Acts 2: 17–18), the second half addresses the
effects of this outpouring on creation (2: 19–20), which leads to the ecological theme
of voice.
Second, on the ecological theme of voice, Luke has modified Joel 2: 30 to emphasise the voice of creation. Luke slightly changes the “wonders in the heavens and
on the earth” (Joel 2: 30) to “wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth
below” (Acts 2: 19), with the addition of “signs” connecting it to the work of Jesus
339
from judgement. The difference with this third coming of the day of God described
in Joel 2: 31, is that humans, with the spirit of God, will join with creation in crying
out for this salvation. As Horrell (2014, p. 135) states, the principle of voice indicates
“that the hope and vocation of salvation are not only a matter for humans but for the
whole created order.”
To summarise, the ecological principles of interconnectedness and voice run
throughout Joel 1–2. Humans and creation are deeply interconnected, as human
sin (possibly overconsumption) leads to ecological judgement, while God’s relentment of judgement on this human sin brings an ecological flourishing. Moreover,
while humans in Joel 1–2 remain unresponsive to God’s call to lament, it is creation
that fulfils this call and laments. These principles are then found in Joel 2: 28–32,
as the spirit of God is poured out on all flesh, human and non-human (indicating an
interconnectedness), and humans join with creation in a call for salvation (indicating
the theme of voice).
Implications for Acts 2: 17–21
There are two indications that these ecological themes of interconnectedness and
voice are taken up by Luke’s use of Joel 2: 28–32 in Acts 2: 17–21. First, on the theme
of interconnectedness, Luke has used the LXX’s version of Joel 2: 28, which uses the
Greek word sarx for “flesh” at this point. While most Pentecostal (and charismatic)
commentators see Luke as indicating “all people” in his use of sarx (Keener 2012;
Cho and Park 2019), sarx can have a broader ecological context. Trainor notes that
the Jewish historian Josephus (37–100 CE) understands sarx as encompassing nonhuman flesh, which is also a common understanding of the broader Greek literature
(Trainor 2020). This understanding of sarx does have implications for Acts 2:17, as
Trainor (2020) notes that Luke’s use of sarx,
implies an added layer of relationship that is more than anthropocentric. Sarx emphasizes
humanity in its relationship to the wider environment and world in which human being live.
The expression underscores a person’s environmental network or relationships that makes
one human. … [Sarx] is not exclusively anthropocentric; it also implies the non-human
world. (p. 38)
Luke’s adoption of sarx in Acts 2: 17 then indicates the interconnectedness of
humans and creation, as God pours out the Spirit upon all flesh, both human and
non-human. While the first half of the quote from Joel 2: 28–32 goes on to describe
the human effects of this outpouring (Acts 2: 17–18), the second half addresses the
effects of this outpouring on creation (2: 19–20), which leads to the ecological theme
of voice.
Second, on the ecological theme of voice, Luke has modified Joel 2: 30 to emphasise the voice of creation. Luke slightly changes the “wonders in the heavens and
on the earth” (Joel 2: 30) to “wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth
below” (Acts 2: 19), with the addition of “signs” connecting it to the work of Jesus